The farms of Piazza Family Wines include two estate vineyards — Bella Vista Vineyard in Ballard Canyon, its home property, and the historic Mt. Carmel Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. 

Tymari LoRe, general manager of Piazza Family Wines, explained that Bella Vista sits on limestone-rich Purisima Hills soil, which they said is wonderful for cortese, an Italian grape that LoRe, winemaker Gretchen “Gretch” Voelcker and owner Ron Piazza “all love.”

After planting Mt. Carmel in 1989, Ron and Nancy Piazza spent three decades looking for a second vineyard to purchase. 

In 2019, they found it in Harrison Clarke Vineyard, on Tapadero Road west of Los Olivos in the Ballard Canyon AVA, and renamed it Bella Vista, Italian for “nice view.”

Indeed, with its elevation of 1,100 feet, the vineyard absolutely boasts scenic views of neighboring ranches and other vineyards along Ballard Canyon Road.

When the teenage Ron Piazza, a native of Queens, N.Y., was growing up near Long Beach, he got a job at McDonald’s. Working his way up the ranks, he transitioned to supervisor and then manager.

Once in his 20s, after years of hard work and saving money, Piazza purchased that McDonald’s franchise and eventually several others.

Harrison Clarke was planted in 2001 by its original owners and its blocks of grenache and syrah grapes were farmed organically.

In 2021, Bella Vista was certified organic, said Voelcker, whose own label, Luna Hart Wines, is also produced at the winery at Bella Vista Vineyard. 

While the original grapes thrived at Bella Vista, Piazza is leaning into production of more Italian varietals, which the team believes also will benefit from the limestone in the Ballard Canyon soils.

An existing half-acre block of graciano will be replanted with nebbiolo interspersed with “a few rows” of merlot, LoRe said.

In addition, some syrah acreage will be replaced by additional acreage of both  sangiovese and montepulciano.

LoRe joined Piazza Family Wines in 2021, just after the brand’s launch, as one of its first collaborators.

After having made wine for 11 years, LoRe transitioned into management, first as general manager for Folded Hills Winery and then as founder of LoRe Consulting Group, with Piazza Family Wines as their first client.

When I spoke to LoRe and Voelcker in March, the latter had just bottled Piazza’s grenache gris, which will join chardonnay as that brand’s second white.

The grenache gris, a delight of a wine, displays ginger and candied orange on the palate, thanks to the soil’s limestone, which produces wines with higher acidity and pronounced minerality.

This wine retails for $35 a bottle, keeping it both “approachable and affordable,” LoRe said. “You might scratch your head (over the wine’s unique taste), but then go ahead and pour another glass.”

Both LoRe and Voelcker “love consumer interaction” with visitors to Piazza, both at its debut tasting room in Los Olivos and during private tastings at the Bella Vista Vineyard.

We tasted through samples of both labels on two dates in March.

Luna Hart’s portfolio includes several wines, among them sauvignon blanc and gruner veltliner, a couple of sparkling wines, several syrahs and cabernet franc.

Luna Hart’s sparkling 2025 Blanc de Cabernet Franc from Gildred Vineyard offered hints of cantaloupe and plumeria.

Cabernet Franc, often still a Bordeaux bit player, was the star in a wine tasting organized by a winemaker in Livermore.

“Tasting all those wines got our wheels turning” as far as showcasing cabernet franc, Voelcker said.

Another cabernet franc is one of two new Luna Hart reds; its grapes were sourced from Honey Bear Orchard Vineyard in the Los Olivos District AVA. It packs a darker plum flavor along with black currants and a hint of graphite. 

Voelcker’s second newer red is a 2023 syrah from Hinnrichs Vineyard, also in Ballard Canyon. It packs pepper, black fruit, olive tapenade and peppercorn. 

Voelcker and LoRe have showcased Piazza’s estate-grown nebbiolo wines with three still releases: They range in barrel aging from 11 to 18 to 22 months. I tasted all three with LoRe at the new tasting room later in March.

Garrett Gamache of Valley Vine Growers farms all of the vineyards for both Piazza Family and Luna Hart wines with the exception of Hinnrichs, LoRe said.

While nebbiolo grapes can be “finicky” to grow, LoRe noted, Piazza’s releases, both the still and sparkling, are hits with guests, so patience in the vineyard can yield big rewards.

Nebbiolo vines sprout smaller leaves and big clusters, meaning sunburn is a big risk.

The grape is also a varietal that welcomes years in barrel to soften its tannic structure.

Piazza’s nebbiolos “are true to the grape,” Voelcker said: The one aged longest in barrel (22 months) showcases “cherries — the fancy cocktail ones — and anise, and it’s full of perfume.”

I found the nebbiolo aged 18 months to be more tannic (an obvious result) but very “pretty,” and the 11-month version to be young but still pleasant and even better slightly chilled.

All three versions of Piazza’s nebbiolo were harvested on the same day. Thirty cases were “pulled” for bottling at a time; that’s the equivalent of four barrels and one keg, LoRe noted. 

Voelcker also produces a sparkling nebbiolo for Piazza, which is “half of our total nebbiolo program,” LoRe said, adding that the bubbly is “a crowd pleaser” with “a traditional nebbiolo flavor profile” that pairs great with salty foods.

Think French fries or potato chips. Just sayin’.

The tasting room hours are noon to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday. It’s located at 2445 Alamo Pintado Ave., Unit 102, in Los Olivos.